American Idol drew a 6.4 adults 18-49 rating last night. That’s down from 13.5% from last week’s two-hour premiere and down a fairly massive 30% from the equivalent Wednesday telecast a year ago (a two-hour version) that averaged a 9.2 adults 18-49 rating and 25.37 million viewers. Fox still easily won Wednesday night though with both total viewers and adults 18-49.

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I really wish we could stay longer in the countries we visit, but I've been lucky to have visited most of them before, because I've done a tremendous amount of travel. - Phil Keoghan

Jenni Schick – 24 – Sterling, VA – Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar – Well, Jenni sure is PERKY. She’s yet one more female contestant who wants to get it ON with Steven Tyler. “I’ll take this one,” he says. OK. We get the shtick. Now can we stop it? Her vocals are shouty and unfocussed. Her mannerisms are super annoying. She teaches music to kids. That’s a little scary. In the end, she gets her kiss from Steven, and a ticket to Hollywood.

Curtis Grey – 28 – Spring Hill FL – “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men – Curtis, who sings in church and plays in a 5 piece band, is one of the best of the night, but that’s not saying much. He’s got a nice tone, but his phrasing is terrible and he’s kind of boring. Jlo thinks he’s really good looking, but I’m not seeing any star quality. Curtis could have used a little constructive criticism, but the judges praise him effusively and send him on to Hollywood.

Richie Law – 19 – Centennial CO, Devan Jones – 26 – Aurora CA – and Mathenne Trego - 25 - Centennial CO - Next is a montage of a few half-decent voices. Richie Law is Scotty McCreery 2.0. He doesn’t stand a chance. Devan Jones has a very smooth falsetto. I would have liked to hear more from him. Mathenne Trego is very soulful, but looks like he could annoy pretty quick.

Tealana Hedgespeth – 19 – Loveland CO – Bring Me Some Water by Melissa Etheridge – This was pretty tragic. The saddest auditions are the bad auditioners who genuinely believe they have talent. Tealana has a twin sister who she feels super-inferior to by comparison. Her lack of confidence makes her toneless singing even sadder. “If you ask her for another song,” Jlo whispers to Steven, “I’m going to kill you.” They let her sing on and on without stopping her. It’s mean. They won’t tell her right out that she’s talentless. “The singing’s not there yet,” says Randy. YET? I wonder if her twin can sing?

Haley Smith – 18 – Orem UT – Tell Me Something Good by Chaka Khan – Hippy Dippy! Haley lives in a log cabin and is a vegetarian. Natch. She works in a meat factory? Hm. She’s our token Aspen hippie, our Haley is. She busts out some Chaka Khan, and while her style is unique I found her tone really really shrill. Steven loves her. LOVES HER. “I’m honored to be here listening to your voice,” he says. Randy says she put her own flower child spin on Chaka. She probably sounds better with a band or singing her own music. I just wish her vocals were a little warmer.

Shelby Tweten – 17 – North Mankato, MN – Temporary Home by Carrie Underwood – Here’s the big backstory of the night. Shelby has recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She says, “American Idol is the only thing keeping me on my meds.” Singing helps alleviate her symptoms. Her vocals are pretty, but unremarkable. And I’m not hearing much authentic country in there. The judges over praise her, “I’ve got tears in my eyes,” says Jlo. I can’t help but wonder if the judges are touched by Shelby’s backstory, rather than her singing. Big, huge yes to Hollywood.

Magic Cyclops – Davenport IA – And so the Aspen auditions close with a joke contestant. A comedian of an “undetermined age” whom I’m sure the producers found and planted for the yucks. Yes, this is the way we say goodbye to Aspen–with an idiot dressed like a hippie talking in a horrible fake English accent. Dude is like a low rent Russell Brand. The conceit is that he’s from Iowa, but has a British accent. Or something. Actually, Magic was the perfect ending to a terrible show. If these contestants were the best of the 31, Aspen is in trouble.

‘American Idol’ recap: Got Any Aspen? – Welcome to Colorado — a wonderfully placid landscape in which many species thrive — bull testes on plates, cows, the “frightening and homeless,” and a person whose job is to shake dirty fake snow over Ryan Seacrest. At least that guy probably doesn’t have a twin brother who specializes in shimmering sleet. But if he had, and if he’d done a weepy confessional including the line “I’ve spent my whole life living in the shadow of his saltshaker figure,” this episode might have been a lot more compelling. – Entertainment Weekly

American Idol Aspen Auditions Recap: Escape to Pitch Mountain – Quick! What did you have for lunch on the second Tuesday of January 2012? If the best you can come up with is “urrmm, a sandwich?” or “something I reheated in a Tupperware dish, maybe with sauce?”, chances are that in a few weeks’ time, you’ll be having similar recall problems regarding American Idol‘s exceedingly pedestrian Aspen audition episode. – TV Line

‘American Idol,’ Season 11, Episode 4, Aspen: TV Recap – A little rock music for the Rocky Mountains of Aspen as “American Idol” auditions continued tonight.It’s hard to say what was more exciting for a 24-year-old music teacher: kissing Steven Tyler on the lips or getting a golden ticket to Hollywood. Jenny Schick might consider easing up on the caffeine, but she rocked “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar and not just Steven loved it. – Wall Street Journal

‘American Idol’ recap: season 11, audition city #4 Denver/Aspen – Aspen is a beautiful, scenic town. The talent? Not so beautiful. At least for us viewers. Sure, we heard nine folks who made it through but I’m not sure if any of them will make it to the final 24. (Thirty one got Hollywood tickets, the fewest so far of the four cities we’ve seen.) Nobody really impressed me though I wouldn’t mind hearing more of Jenni Schick and Devan Jones. – Atlanta Journal Constitution

‘American Idol’ Season 11 Aspen Auditions: High and Mostly Dry – Do these people know or care what they’re auditioning for anymore? That’s what I thought while watching Iowa’s bizarre Magic Cyclops, who spoke like a member of Spinal Tap and looked like a cross between Axl Rose and Slash and had an accent as phony as Madonna’s (learned from watching the BBC on PBS, as his explanation went). He sent Randy Jackson straight to the latrine. – Hollywood Reporter

‘Idol’ in Aspen: Magic Cyclops & Glitter Queens & Sausages, Oh My! – For several episodes now, “American Idol” viewers have whined and moaned that Season 11 has been too light on “crazy” auditions. Where are all the William Hungs, Larry Platts, and Norman Gentles this season? Well, rubbernecking trainwreck-lovers in TV land had their prayers answered during Wednesday’s Aspen episode, in the form of an air-guitaring rock ‘n’ roll messiah named Magic Cyclops. The guy was like the “Idol” version of Andrew WK, and he came to party hard indeed. Everything that came out of this dude’s mouth–other than his singing, of course, which was admittedly awful–was pure television gold. The guy practically out-Tylered Steven Tyler, he was so nutty. And so awesome. – Yahoo Music

Aspen Auditions – American Idol Aspen brought us our first two good freaks of the season on Idol. Tonight we met Magic Cyclops, the Sp?nal Tap-style singer in sunglasses and a bandanna who claimed to speak with a British accent because growing up he was so poor his parents could only afford PBS. I got a kick out of Cyclops (not to mention the fact that Jennifer Lopez seemed to catch onto his jokes a lot quicker than Randy did) and wasn’t very surprised to find out that in his spare time he’s more than just a guy looking for his 15 minutes of fame. – AV Club

American Idol 11 Auditions: Catch some ZZZZs in Asspen – Does anyone know why American Idol held auditions in Apsen this year? It’s not as if anything actually happens in Aspen and Jennifer Lopez doesn’t do cold weather. Hell, I can’t even imagine Randy Jackson donning North Face unless Mariah or Journey told him to do it for a video. Steven Tyler would have to wear layers — not just 3 silk animal-print scarves. Those don’t count. Nah, Steven Tyler would have to get bundled up to go to the mountains. Even Ryan Seacrest looks out-of-place in that dark grey winter coat, as nice as it is, he just looks like he’s about do to some on-the-spot guidance at a cassette tape factory outside Pyongyang.- Top Idol Blog

In an AMERICAN IDOL exclusive, Madonna will world preview the video for her new single “Give Me All Your Luvin,” featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A., during IDOL Thursday, Feb. 2(8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Madonna will release “Give Me All Your Luvin’’ featuring Nicki Minaj and M.I.A. on Feb. 3. The song was written by Madonna, Martin Solveig, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A, and is the first single off of Madonna’s upcoming studio album “MDNA,” her 12th studio album. “MDNA” follows up 2008’s “Hard Candy,” which debuted at No. 1 in 37 countries. “Give Me All Your Luvin’’ was composed by Martin Solveig and Michael Tordjman and was produced by Madonna and Martin Solveig.

This week, AMERICAN IDOL continues with Portland auditions on Wednesday, Feb. 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and St. Louis auditions Thursday, Feb. 2 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. The countdown is on as judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler hand out the last of the tickets to Hollywood. Some dreams will come true while others come to an end as the hopefuls from around the nation vie for a coveted spot in the Top 24.

Become a fan of AMERICAN IDOL on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanIdol. Follow the series on Twitter @AmericanIdol and join the discussion at #Idol. Also, follow host Ryan Seacrest at @RyanSeacrest, and follow the judges: @yo_randyjackson; @JLo; and @iamstevent.

Contestants Battle it Out During the Performance Challenge Thursday, Feb. 16;

Top Semifinalists to be Revealed on Wednesday, Feb. 22 and Thursday, Feb. 23

Over 300 contestants made it to Hollywood and only 70 will survive Hollywood Week — the most challenging week of their lives. The contestants are pushed to their limits and ambulances are called to the scene as some faint, vomit and even fall off the stage. Randy, Jennifer and Steven put the contestants to the test as they reveal whom they believe have what it takes to be the next AMERICAN IDOL. The not-to-be-missed Hollywood Week kicks off tonight, Wednesday, Feb. 8 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and continues Thursday, Feb. 9 (8:00-9:00 PM ET /PT) and Wednesday, Feb. 15 (8:00-10:00 PM ET /PT) on FOX.

Throughout the Hollywood rounds, the contestants will face intense challenges, completely different from what they encountered during auditions. They’ll sing solo, perform in groups for the judges and then sing on a huge stage, as they compete against each other to remain on the show. Who will make it and who will be sent home? See what happens when emotions run high, lyrics are lost and tears are shed.

Those who survive Hollywood will embark on an adventure of a lifetime as they head to Las Vegas for the Performance Challenge on stage in Cirque du Soleil’s Viva ELVIS Theatre at Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Some will shine, while others will crack under the pressure on a special two-hour episode Thursday, Feb. 16 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).

The following week, contestants will take the stage one last time and sing for their lives to prove they deserve to make it to the next round. For some, it’s the end of the road, but for those who make it, it will be the start of an incredible journey. The second phase of the competition comes to a dramatic end when Randy, Jennifer and Steven reveal this season’s semifinalists Wednesday, Feb. 22 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) and Thursday, Feb. 23 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT).

Some of the singers I'm watching tonight who stood out for me in Las Vegas"

Boys:

Reed Grimm He draws your eye to him even singing in a group. He changed up his song with 30 minutes to prepare, decided to use the drums as his instrument and pulled it off magnificently. Is he the best singer? I don't know but I think he will make it to the top 12.

Heejun Han: Hilarious with his dry wit and he can sing!

Phil Phillips: He's good!

Girls:

Jen Hirsh I loved her version of Georgia on my mind! Just beautiful!Brielle Von Hugel : 16 years old, BIG voice!

The AMERICAN IDOL auditions came to a spectacular conclusion tonight as the judges’ remaining picks for the semi-finalists were revealed. Jennifer, Randy and Steven have chosen their top contestants and will turn the power over to America when the LIVE shows and voting begin next week.

Also in a dramatic twist, it was announced that one of these four contestants – Jermaine Jones, Johnny Keyser, Richie Law and David Leathers – will get a second chance and join the male semi-finalists next week on a special night, Tuesday, Feb. 28 (8:00-10:00 PM ET live/tape-delayed). The male semi-finalists – DeAndre Brackensick, Adam Brock, Colton Dixon, Creighton Fraker, Eben Franckewitz, Reed Grimm, Heejun Han, Joshua Ledet, Chase Likens, Aaron Marcellus, Phil Phillips and Jeremy Rosado, plus one more lucky contestant – will perform LIVE for the first time on AMERICAN IDOL.

Reed Grimm – “Moves Like Jagger” By Maroon 5 – Ellsworth WI is famous for their cheese curds. Yum? He’s a nanny to his sister’s kids. Er. Not really digging the cheesy “smooth jazz” version of “Moves Like Jagger”. There’s nothing relevant about this arrangement at all. It’s like dentist office music. Except the part where he sang “shit” and it was bleeped. Once again, Reed gets behind the drums for part of the song. It’s beginning to look like shtick. A disappointing performance. Reed is turning into a one trick pony. Ugh the judging hasn’t improved at all this year. Randy called him a very musical guy. Jennifer thought it was a great way to show America what we are dealing with. “Beautiful” says Stephen. Don’t indulge him, judges - Reed may not get through on viewer votes–especially since he went first. If he doesn’t–the judges will wildcard him. – 1-866-436-5701

Adam Brock – “Think” By Aretha Franklin – Adam calls himself a “renaissance man”, “a large black woman in a man’s body” and “white chocolate”. One more Idol version of “Think”? Not really something we needed. He reminds me a lot of Danny Gokey. Oh look, he’s wearing a terrible towel in his back pocket. Representing for Pittsburgh. That’s nice. I needed something to distract me from that boring and uninspired performance. “Setting the bar high right of the box,” says Steven, before he pimps the season, “We got such talent coming right out of the box…That was brilliant” Really, the gushing is overkill. 1-866-436-5702

Deandre Brackensick – “Reasons” by Earth Wind and Fire – Hm. This is NOT a great song choice. Falsetto is tricky–unless it’s stellar, it’s really unpleasant to listen to. And here, Deandre’s voice is really weak and off pitch. He hits a nice note at the end. But that’s the point–a little goes a long way! If he’d sung in full voice, with a few bars of falsetto and then the killer high note? That would have been a moment. That performance was a bunch of meh with a few good moments. Ugh. I want to mute the judges. They are added nothing. Steven is still overusing the word “Beautiful”. Jennifer calls his voice “Perfect”. NO IT’S NOT. Randy says, “You’re ready to go now.” He calls him relevant, yet compares him to Maxwell (90s) and Philip Baily (7o’s) Randy is such a dope. 1-866-436-5703

Colton Dixon – “Decode” by Paramore – I hate to be superficial? But Colton’s hair is really stupid. Plz get rid of that ridiculous skunk stripe. Oh. Look at Colton’s GIANT house. The Dixon’s are not hurting. Colton says he’s going to change it up a bit. “People are used to seeing me at a piano”. Except he begins his performance sitting at one. “I may shock a few people,” he says. Oh, so he gets up and works the stage, flirts with the girls in the front row, and jumps up and down on the piano. What’s so shocking about that? If Nigel takes away his piano, Colton may have a problem. The camera cuts to Jlo who’s got a look on her face like she’s about to poop. Eh. Colton is really a poor man’s David Cook. Randy says, “It’s about time on Idol that we have our own little indie alt rock singer like Paramore dude.” Yeah…because we’ve never had that before. Jlo calls him a “relevant artist” and she can hear him on the radio “right now.” I can hear him on Adult Contemporary, and that’s about it. 1-866-436-5704

Jeremy Rosado – “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles – Supposedly, Jeremy is the resident nice guy, always helping out and supporting his fellow contestants. Aw. His co-workers call him “Jer Bear”. Well. This is very sincere. He feels what he’s singing. But his vocals aren’t spectacular. He lacks star quality. Whoa that high note was pitchy! I wasn’t feeling that, dawg. Yet, the judges gush over him. Really they should be picking apart these performances in a constructive way. Instead, they are yammering on about how nice he is. Randy continues to pimp the season “We got some crazy SANGERS on the show this season,” he says, “I was so impressed…I love you man.” 1-866-436-5705

Aaron Marcellus – “Never Can Say Goodbye” by Jackson 5 – Marcellus tap dances. If Idol doesn’t work out, he can audition for SYTYCD. He’s got a really nice voice. I’m not feeling this song choice though. I wish he would have tackled something more contemporary. He’s awkward, working the stage. A great performer won’t let you take your eyes off him. Marcellus has talent, but lacks that kind of star quality. The last note he hits is super screechy. The judges actually give him a standing ovation. It was not THAT good. Randy calls him an old school veteran. “I’ve always believed in you,” says Jennifer. “You’re the whole package,” says Steven. 1-866-436-5706

Chase Likens “Storm Warning” by Hunter Hays – That’s nice. We learn a little bit about Chase’s life in West Virginia. A place he’ll be headed back to when he’s eliminated on Thursday. Poor dude didn’t stand a chance with little to no screen time. His singing isn’t half bad. Chase picked a song from a young country singer. It’s a good choice for him. He’s got a nice tone, but his vocals are generic and slightly under pitch. It helps that he’s a good looking guy, but not much. The judges even gush over cannon fodder! Steven compares Chase to Brendan Frasier. Remember him? “You’ve grown so much through the competition,” says Jlo, “I look forward to seeing where you go.” That would be home, Jennifer. 1-866-436-5707

Creighton Fraker – “True Colors” – by Cyndi Lauper – Creighton says he grew up a preacher’s kid in small town South Dakota. He didn’t exactly “fit in” there, so he moved to NYC. “I’m Creighton Fraker,” he says, “You have to be who you are.” And the person he is, is someone who never met a song he couldn’t over-sing. He begins “True Colors” with some restraint, but that doesn’t last long. By the end of the performance he’s all over the place with scary runs and high notes. Dude. You are not Sam Harris. This is not Star Search. Jennifer has no idea how America is going to choose with so many great voices! She doesn’t want Creighton to go home. Too bad, Jen I think he is. “Stupendous,” says Steven. “You took that song and put it over the top.” Well, that’s one way of putting it. – 1-866-436-5708

Phillip Phillips – “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins – Phillip loves his family, even if his parents couldn’t think up a first name for him. Poor P2. I stopped feeling sorry for him pretty quickly, though. I don’t like all of Phil’s performances, but I like this one a lot–mostly on the strength of the arrangement. Yep. He’s got his guitar with him. But he is not overshadowed by the band and back up singers like I thought he might be. He puts his gravelly voice to good use, plugging into the passion of the song. Phil is so going to SAIL into the Top 13 on Thursday. He’s a contender. Jlo and Steven gush–and finally it’s justified. Jlo compares him to Lauren and Scotty in terms of somebody she noticed right away. It took 7 performances, but finally, Randy CRITICIZES a performance. A little. Basically, he didn’t like the re-arrangement, but still “loves it.”- 1-866-436-5709

Eben Franckewitz – “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele – This kid is sooo young. Way too young. The Adele song is a really unfortunate choice. Not only is it too mature, but it’s also way too big for him. His performance is horribly off pitch–you can tell the kid is nervous–and just a hot mess all around. This is what you get when you take a kid, straight from his Ohio high school to a big Hollywood soundstage to sing live in front of millions of people. You’re going to watch a young boy choke on TV, and it’s not pretty. Eben will be heading back to class, where he belongs shortly. The judges go easy on him. They point out his pitchiness, but call him a “great performer.” Hm. Steven tells him to listen to blues records, for whatever that’s worth. – 1-866-436-5710

Heejun Han – “Angels” by Robbie Williams - Oh how I love the comedy stylings of Heejun. Which is why I really really really want to like his singing, but this isn’t good. The boy has good tone, but his diction and phrasing need lots of work. He also has trouble staying on pitch. He’s a mediocre singer, but I still hope he makes the Top 13 because he’s so amusing. His mom, whom Heejun films dancing and singing around their Flushing house is super adorable too. Heejun will probably advance anyway. If he doesn’t he’ll get picked for the wild card, so I’m not worried. The judges blame his problems on his song choice. – 1-866-436-5711

Joshua Ledet – “You Pulled Me Through ” by Jennifer Hudson – The second great performance of the night is from Joshua Ledet who totally takes the room to church with a passionate and assured performance of “You Pulled Me Through” . I love his raspy tone. There’s no oversinging here–he’s pure emotion, every note has the right inflection. I’m really going to be mad if he doesn’t make the Top 13. The room gives him a well-deserved standing ovation. “Can I get an Amen up in here,” says Randy. The doors of the church are wide open. This is what singing is all about.” Jennifer says she wants to punch him he’s so talented. OK! 1-866-436-5712

Jermaine Jones – “Dance With My Father” by Luther Vandross - Performing the sentimental “Dance with My Father” combined with the pimp spot will likely land Jermaine in the Top 13, although the performance itself was pretty ordinary. I like the texture of Jermaine’s voice, but he’s uneven and has way too much vibrato. I did not enjoy that at all. Randy inexplicably says that it’s about time that Idol has a bass in the competition. Well, that kid who won Idol last year has a pretty deep voice, doesn’t he? Meh. I really could have done without this particular ratings gimmick. 1-866-436-5736

Is it me, or were the Top 13 guys' performances boring as a whole? I don't think I'm in agreement with the judges, Randy calling it a hot night and with every contestant getting compliments. I can't even remember what the first half of the guys did. The only performance that stood out for me was Joshua Ledet's. No wonder they placed him last. Colton, Chase, Jeremy, Phillip and Jermaine's performances were alright. The rest were plain forgettable, IMO.

Based on performance and/or personality, I'm guessing that the five guys getting through on viewers' votes are Joshua, Jermaine, Eben (because he's a young, adorable boy who'll probably get lots of females' votes)... And perhaps Colton and Phillip? I'm uncertain about the latter two, but I'm hoping that Phillip gets through.

I have a feeling too that we will have 7 guys in the Top 13 this year. Maybe two of Adam, Aaron or Jeremy will round up the guys. Hmm.

Then again I can't say for sure who's going through, 'cos truth is, most of their performances were mediocre for me.